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MATHER BROWN'S
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS

BY
LAWRENCE PARK

From the

Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society

roR November, 19 17

BOSTON

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS

1918

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MATHER BROWN'S
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS

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In 1786, Mather Brown, then twenty-five years old, painted
a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, who had come to London to
visit John Adams. In Jefferson's accounts he entered on April
25, 1786, ''Pd. Brown for my picture, £10." At about the same
time he painted a replica of this portrait for John Adams, which
is now in the possession of the Adams family, and for which he
charged six guineas, as is shown by his receipt attached to the
back of the picture. The original portrait seems to have dis-
appeared. Jefferson gave an order to Brown for a portrait of
John Adams, and the receipt for its cost, £10, dated July 2,
1788, is reproduced in Proceedings, XLVii. 33. Trumbull writ-
ing from London to Jefferson in Paris in 1788, and referring to
the two portraits says: "Mr. Adams is like — yours I do not
think so well of." The Adams portrait of Jefferson was en-
graved for Bancroft's History of the United States, and has been
several times reproduced. It is the earliest-known likeness of
him.

The portrait of Adams I think has never been engraved or
hitherto reproduced in any book. It remained in Jefferson's
possession until his death in 1826 and in May, 1828, was, with
many paintings from his estate, exhibited at the Boston Athen-
aeum, numbered 311 in the catalogue and offered for sale. It
next appears at an auction of Jefferson's pictures held in Chester
Harding's Gallery on School Street, Boston, July 19, 1833.
Since that date it has been lost sight of. The picture itself is
owned by the Boston Athenaeum and hangs in the delivery
room of that building. It was received by bequest in 1908 from
the late George Francis Parkman of Boston, who doubtless in-
herited it from his father or grandfather, who in turn probably

purchased it from the Jefferson estate. During the past year
I have made some study of the work of Brown, and having
compared this portrait with others of Adams, I am now con-
vinced that it is the long-lost portrait of Adams by Brown.
The introduction in the right of the picture of a folio volume
labelled ''Jeffersons Hist, of Virginia.'' implies a deHcate com-
pliment to Jefferson.

Mather Brown had an earher connection with John Adams.
Writing in September, 1784, to his aunts of his commissions,
Brown states that he had painted "Miss Adams, Daughter of
the famous Ambassador," who had touched in England while
on her way from Quincy to Paris. A year later, September 13,
1785, he wrote that "among other great people " he had painted
"the illustrious J. Adams, Esqr. (Ambassador from the States
to His Britannic Majesty) and his Family, which will honour
the next Exhibition." ^ The catalogues of the Royal Academy ^
do not however show that these pictures were exhibited there.
Miss Adams was Abigail Adams who married in 1786. Her
portrait and that of her husband. Col. William Stephens Smith,
both by Brown, are owned in the Adams family. Another por-
trait of her, destroyed by fire many years ago, was engraved by
H. S. Sadd for her Journal and Correspondence published in
1841. The engraving attributes the portrait to Copley, but I
am not able, lacking further evidence, to state that it is not
correctly attributed and that Brown and not Copley was the
artist.

^ From Mather Browoi letters in the Frederick L. Gay Transcripts.
* Royal Academy Exhibitors, by Algernon Graves, i. 310.

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